Mr. Thomas said it’s highly complex for Intel, the largest maker of microprocessors for personal computers, to forecast demand in many emerging markets. He pointed to Brazil, where sales of desktop computers had been growing strongly for years until early 2013, when they plunged. He attributed the change to a slowdown in Brazil’s economy and the adoption of other technologies, such as smartphones and tablet computers.

Mr. Thomas predicted slower growth in China, the world’s second-largest economy, in part because of rising concern about air-pollution problems. He said Intel, like many non-Chinese companies, has installed additional air filters in its facilities in China and that many employees use air filters in their homes.

“China has got to tackle this problem,” Mr. Thomas told the conference. “Pollution gives them another reason to perhaps grow a little more slowly.”

Mr. Thomas said he expects China’s economy to grow between 6% and 10% annually for the next few years.

Slowing growth in emerging markets is a concern for Intel, because they have been the biggest contributor to the company’s growth in recent years. But Mr. Thomas said he does not foresee a repeat of 1998, when concerns about slowing growth and weaker currencies in Asia led to a global slowdown.

“Emerging markets seem to be in much better shape now,” he said.

Mr. Thomas was also relatively optimistic about the U.S., noting the American economy grew faster than predicted in the second half of 2013. He said cheaper energy from new sources of natural gas, and pending trade deals with Asia and Europe, should help U.S. economic growth.

Despite continued political disagreements in the U.S., Mr. Thomas said he thinks fractiousness has been receding since 2010, and that Washington policy makers are slowly learning to work with one another.